CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) – NASA’s Orion capsule is now circling the moon in an orbit stretching tens of thousands of miles.
The capsule and its three test dummies entered lunar orbit Friday, more than a week after launching on the test flight.
It will remain in this broad but stable orbit for nearly a week, before heading home.
As of Friday, the capsule was 238,000 miles from Earth and is expected to reach a maximum distance of almost 270,000 miles in a few days.
NASA considers this a dress rehearsal for the next moon flyby in 2024, with astronauts.
A lunar landing by astronauts could follow as soon as 2025.
